Motor vehicles typically have transmissions that couple the engine to the drive train so that the motor vehicle can move, while providing a range of gear ratios to facilitate moving the motor vehicle. Often the transmissions are selectively engaged using a lever known as a gearshift to place the transmission into a selected drive gear. For example, automatic transmissions typically provide for park, reverse, neutral, and several driving gears. Manual transmissions likewise provide for reverse, neutral, and several driving gears. In use, the gearshift is grasped by the operator of the motor vehicle and moved to the selected position for operation of the motor vehicle. Manual transmissions must be operated typically in conjunction with a clutch. Motor vehicles with manual transmissions often require a number of uses of the gearshift, in order to change the driving gears as driving conditions change.
The gearshift levers for transmissions are typically sized for convenient use by average sized drivers, and for most persons this is acceptable. The gearshift is neither too far nor too close for convenient access and use. However, for others, the length of the gearshift causes problems.
To accommodate differences in preferences for gearshift levers, there are a number of aftermarket gearshift levers. Some are relatively short, for persons with longer arms or with a preference for a short shift throw when changing gears of a transmission. Other replacement gearshifts are longer, to accommodate persons sitting further away from the transmission. While these devices have been successful in changing the gearshift lever for drivers to a preferred length, there are still drawbacks to their use. In particular, the throw length of the gearshift lever for one driver may not be suitable for another. For motor vehicles accessible for use by several persons, these aftermarket gearshifts are not generally satisfactory.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved gearshift lever selectively positionable for reaching use by an operator of a motor vehicle. It is to such that the present invention is directed.